Rising star José James is defining a new direction in contemporary music, combining urban blues, hip-hop, soul, drum + bass, and straight-ahead to produce a sound that is fresh as tomorrow yet deeply rooted in the tradition of jazz.His upcoming first release on international dj + producer Gilles Peterson's new Brownswood Label reflects his passion for diversity – singing the sanctified blues with legendary pianist Junior Mance on Rashaan Roland Kirk's "Spirits Up Above"; taking a contemporary view of Bill Lee's "Nola"; and adding a jazz sensibility to the hip-hop meets 70's soul groove of Freestyle Fellowship's classic "Park Bench People."

His own compositions range from the driving "Red" to contemporary modal + soul jazz explorations, "Velvet" and "Desire"; from the laid back drum + bass soul of "Love" to his lover’s rock anthem "blackeyedsusan"; on to the lyrical ballad poems "The Dreamer (for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)" and "Winterwind."

With tracks in constant rotation on BBC Radio 1 and Gilles Peterson Worldwide + with a recent feature in Straight, No Chaser - José James album "The Dreamer" is being heralded as one of the most promising jazz albums of 2008.

Saturday, 19 January 2008

Two great compilations available HERE - both offer a insight into this outstanding label. The Schema. rosta runs like this: NICOLA CONTE, GERARDO FRISINA, MARIO BIONDI AND THE HIGH FIVE QUINTET, TOCO, THE INVISIBLE SESSION, S-TONE INC., THE DINING ROOMS, DOUBLE BEAT, SOULSTANCE, PAOLO FEDREGHINI, MARCO BIANCHI, ROSALIA DE SOUZA and BEAT OUT SHRINE.

Friday, 18 January 2008

The biggest tune of 2008 already! This tune has had serious support from the likes of Mr. Scruff , Daddy G, Richard Dorfmiester to name a few. The band’s web site has been swamped with requests for the tune and it has received over 30,000 plays on their myspace page, also one of the big tunes at the 2007 summer festivals like the big chill etc. The A side is the Overproof killer cover of the Kraftwerk classic followed by a brass driven dub. The B side see’s the re release of Overproofs World anthem ‘Watch What You Put Ina’. originally on a different drummer limited edition 12” since its deletion the vinyl has been passing hands for £70 and upwards.

Tracklist

The Model The Model (Dub) Watch What You Put Inna Watch What You Put Inna (Dub)

Ooooh this could be massive, GAMM doing edits and remixes of James Brown!? Hell yeah! Sygaire and Defcon tackle 'Check Out Ya Mind', re-diting and remixing to pull out a sick soundtrack groover. Then next up is DJ Ayres, who gives 'Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose' the breaks treatment, Bomb Strikes style! But the most impressive out of the three, is Bloodfire's amazing mellow, broken house monster using 'Mama's Dead'... killer!

Tracklist

Check Out Ya Mind (Sygaire and Defcon Remix).Give It Up And Turnit A Loose (DJ Ayres Remix).Mama's Dead (Bloodfire Remix).

Soul Jazz Records Says.......

A1. The Carpenters - “All I Can Do”Taken from the Carpenters first LP - “Ticket To Ride”.A BIG jazz record for jazz heads around the world. Featuring a young Karen Carpenter on drums and boy can She play them !This is a new extended version.

A2. Roger Simard - “P.S. Special”Superb French Canadian library track now with an extended breakA full on Jazz Hip Hop break thats gonna make Madlib flip

B1. Jermaine Jackson - “Erucu”Ultra rare Tamla Motown Larry Levan championed disco from 1976.The original was just over 3 minutes long – it became one of the early tracks that Walter Gibbons used to extend with 2 copiesAlso a big tune for the likes of Greg Wilson.

B2. Dizzy Gillespie and Lalo Schifrin - “O Zone Madness”How ahead of its time is this title ! This record is nearly 40 years old and apparently in California back then there where issues with the ozone due to pollution that the government didn’t want people to know about.. (nothings changed there then..!)Another big one for the likes of Greg Wilson, Francois Kevorkian and a tune that you also would have heard back in the day at Sunrise, Heaven or in Ibiza.

CD RELEASE.....It all started with a phone call (or, in this case, a text message)…”would you want to do Freeze at the Hollywood Bowl?” Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow jumped at the chance to be the first-ever headlining turntablists at the legendary 16,500 capacity venue, the site of infamous concerts by everyone from John Williams to the Beatles to the Doors. In the process of preparing for the June 2007 show, Shadow and Cut recorded their rehearsals, allowing for this latest and greatest episode in all-45 mayhem: The Hard Sell.

THE HARD SELL (PART 1) VIDEO FROM THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL......

As with Freeze and Product Placement, the emphasis is on the eclectic; funk and hip-hop are present as is some rock. But Hard Sell is leaps and bounds beyond the expected, on a musical basis, as well as technical. Now utilizing 8 turntables and 2 loop pedals, new possibilities in live mixing are explored, as doo-wop mixes with punk, new wave with grime, and everything in between, all with taste and humor. Several classic hip-hop tracks are even “sampled” (via loop pedal) and reconstructed in real time, from their original elements.

THE HARD SELL (PART 2) VIDEO FROM THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL......

Now you can finally hear what all of the buzz has been about. Forget mash-ups, forget computers, and never mind the MP3s…this is real turntablism at its genre-bending, skills-dominated best. The Hard Sell CD comes in a beautifully designed, die-cut DVD-style case, with art by Paul Insect.

Came accross this guy via Gilles Peterson's podcast available from his Worldwide website. He performed live at the Worldwide Awards this year at Cargo, but more importantly he has just been signed to Erykah Badu's new label and a buzz seems to be growing.

Disc one: A: Tito Puente – Hit the Bongo B: Tito Puente – Black Brothers Disc two: A: Mongo Santamaria - Mambomongo B: Latinaires – Camel Walk Disc three: A: Al Escobar – Tighten Up B: Chollo Rivera – I’ve got the Feeling Our third excursion into the deep catalogue of world-renowned Latin labels Fania and Tico focuses on the sounds of heavy funk – with a touch of Latin! A selection of classics and rarities that have worked their timeless magic on dancefloors the world over for thirty or more years – all presented in a special package including informative liner notes and cover scans! The 3 record box set contains the two heaviest funk tracks from the master Tito Puente – ‘Hit the Bongo’ and ‘Black Brothers’, both on one loud pressed 45, plus rare JB covers from Al Escobar and Chollo Rivera, as well as mighty Mongo Santamaria’s ‘Mambomongo’ and the rare ‘Camel Walk’ from the Latinaires – all adding up to one bangin’ Latin funk party! (Jazzman Website)

Jungle Struttin 7 Inch

Prior to the release of their forthcoming debut album, The Lions drop a limited-edition 7” single that features the album title track “Jungle Struttin’” and a dub version of “Ethio-Steppers” that’s 100% exclusive to this 7” release only. “Jungle Struttin’” is a dj-friendly, dusty, Jamaican-funk joint in the vein of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and the flipside is a bass-heavy dub in the vein of Scientist or King Tubby but with an added Eastern/African/Ethiopique twist.The Lions is a unique Jamaican-inspired outfit, the result of an impromptu recording session by members of Breakestra, Connie Price and the Keystones, Rhythm Roots All-Stars, Orgone, Sound Directions, Plant Life, Poetics and Macy Gray (to name a few). Gathering at Orgone's Killion Studios, in Los Angeles during the Fall of 2006, they created grooves that went beyond the Reggae spectrum by combining new and traditional rhythms, and dub mixing mastery with the global sounds of Ethiopia, Colombia and Africa. The Lions also added a healthy dose of American-style soul, jazz, and funk to create an album that’s both a nod to the funky exploits of reggae acts like Byron Lee and the Dragonaires and Boris Gardner, and a mash of contemporary sound stylings.The Lions are an example of the ever-growing musical family found in Los Angeles. There is a heavyweight positive-vibe to be found in the expansive, sometimes artificial, Hollywood-flavored land of Los Angeles. Many of the members of the Lions met through the LA staple rare groove outfit Breakestra and have played in many projects together over the past decade. It was through discussions about The Lions taking place between band conductor Todd Simon and Ubiquity that recent releases by Orgone and Connie Price came to be. (Ubiquity Records).

Earth Blossom LP

A beautiful session of spiritual soul jazz -- and one of the rarer albums on the legendary Strata East label! The obscure combo is led by drummer/percussionist John Betsch -- and instrumentation includes guitar, piano, electric piano, and reeds -- all used with plenty of warm touches, and a few sharp edges -- all very much in the best Strata East mode of the time! The tracks have a soaring sort of sound -- similar to some of the Keno Duke material on the label, but also touched with some trippier edges too -- a great blend that really brings a lot of depth to the session, and which has made this one of our favorite Strata sides over the years. Titles include "Song For An Untitled Lady", "Ra", "Get Up & Go", and "Ode To Ethiopia". (Dustygroove)

Ode To Ethipoia 7 Inch

To coincide with a wonderful re-issue of the legendary album, Earth Blossom, Heavenly Sweetness present this 7" that features the stunning 'Ode To Ethiopia' with a Carlos Nino (Build An Ark) remix on the filp! (Rush Hour).

Blue Note Street (Part 1) 12 Inch.

Blue Note classics, replayed here by some of the best artists on the Japanese groove scene -- including some of the key club jazz combos who've been inspired by the older work on the label! The collection is really wonderful -- proof that the Blue Note groove is not only alive and well into the 21st Century, but also has plenty of room for new interpretation and new modes of jazz expression! Some of the tracks here feature electronics, beats, and dancefloor production -- but just as many sparkle with the kind of spontaneous, acoustic instrumentation that Blue Note gave the world back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Part 1 of the vinyl version features 5 tracks that include "Maiden Voyage" by DJ Kawasaki, "Street Walkin Woman" by Jazztronik, "Oriental Folk Song Rework" by Robert Glasper Experiment, "Off & On" by Kyoto Jazz Massive, and "Avila & Tequila" by Sunaga T Experience, (Dustygroove website).

Blue Note Street (Part 2) 12 Inch

Blue Note classics, replayed here by some of the best artists on the Japanese groove scene -- including some of the key club jazz combos who've been inspired by the older work on the label! The collection is really wonderful -- proof that the Blue Note groove is not only alive and well into the 21st Century, but also has plenty of room for new interpretation and new modes of jazz expression! Some of the tracks here feature electronics, beats, and dancefloor production -- but just as many sparkle with the kind of spontaneous, acoustic instrumentation that Blue Note gave the world back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Part 2 of the vinyl version features 6 tracks that include "Afrodisia" by Muro, "Moanin" by Takeshi Nakasuka, "Mode To John" by Soil & Pimp Sessions, "A Night In Tunisia" by Toshio Matsuura Group, "Don't Know Why" by DJ Kaori, and "Cleopatra's Dream" by Home Grown

For those who are interested....check this MP3 being offered free from Tru Thoughts.....

TM Juke (solo artist and producer & co-writer of Alice Russell) and Robert Luis (A&R and Co-Owner of Tru-Thoughts) are the joint force which is me&you, a multifaceted musical outfit producing a wide range of stomping dance floor breaks.The duo first collaborated in 2005 to write a one-off track for their DJ sets, then in the summer of 2006 they were invited to play at Bestival and recorded a couple of extra tracks especially for the gig. After an astounding reaction from the crowd they were inundated with enquiries through MySpace and the Tru Thoughts website so decided to record a full-length album together. The unique, encapsulating mix of me&you sounds will instantly entice you into a head-nodding, toe tapping dance floor stomping trance and deliver you on a journey through an eclectic spectrum of influences from break beat, soul, jazz, dub step, broken beat, reggae, disco to drum and bass. (Tru Thoughts Blurb).

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